Essay on The Idatarod

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The Idatarod-

Picture this: You are going to travel over one thousand

miles across Alaska---by car?

by train? by plane? NO!! You are travelling by dogsled -

your only companions on this journey will be eleven to

fourteen of the most honest, loyal and strong dogs that you

can find. For over six grueling months, you and your

carefully selected dogs have been training, and now it is up

to you and your canine companions.

For sledders (or "mushers") this is a dream come true

because they are about to start the Iditarod - a name

possibly derived from the Indian word "Ingalik" meaning

"distant place". Only half of the starting team of dogs

will finish. Those with the strongest heart and the will to

go on against overwhelming odds will complete the race.

The Iditarod is a dogsled race that takes place in Alaska

every year. It goes from Anchorage (Alaska's largest city)

to Nome, stretching over 1,000 miles of icy, snow-covered

ground. The Iditarod was begun in the 1960's when people

tried to restore tradition to Alaska. It was first run to

commemorate a trip that took place in 1925 to deliver

medicine to Nome. The race has two routes, the Northern and

the Southern. In even-numbered years, the Northern route is

used and in odd-numbered years, the Southern route is used.

The Iditarod is the hardest and toughest dogsled race there

is. Sometimes the mushers get so tired, they hallucinate.

What makes the race so demanding? Three features: time,

temperature and distance.

The temperature in Alaska is so cold that it can reach up to

40 degrees below zero during the running of the race.

Because it gets so cold, the mushers have to wear several

layers of clothing. One of the major sponsors (Timberland)

has made specially-designed clothes to keep them warm,

including sleeping bags, snowshores, special long underwear,

boots for wet and dry surfaces, water resistant climbing

suits, and mittens made out of beaver skin. Other equipment

includes dog "booties" for the dogs' feet, and a six foot

long 28 pound tobaggan. One tobaggan, made by North Star is

called the "Ferrari " of dogsleds. More than one sled is

used. As the land gets flatter and icier, a new sled with

flat runners is used. This sled is easier for the dogs to

pull on the icy surface.

For training, the dogs are split up into two teams for three

days of workout and one day of

rest. It is critical that the dogs be able to maintain

their pace even when they are exhausted.

The dogs get a few days off before the "big day".

Sometimes accidents can happen. For example, when training,

Bruce Johnsen, Canada's top musher, plunged through the ice

of a...